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Make Your Own Baby Food: So Easy Baby Food Kit

As you know, I made my own baby food for my first son. There are so many benefits to making your own that it seemed like the only option to me. Think about it, you know exactly what you are feeding you child. You know where the produce came from. There is no need to be limited to the selection the commercial baby food companies are offering. You can make whatever kind of baby food you want, and in my opinion, offering baby a good variety is setting the stage for healthy eating habits.

Here are a few things to consider before feeding your baby commercial baby foods:

They sometimes contain additives. Infant foods have been know to contain certain ascorbic or citric acid and flour (for texture). While those things aren’t terrible, there is no need for them in freshly made baby food. Toddler foods (such as a popular brands toddler dinners) contain an amount of sodium that I consider to be extremely high for a toddler sized portion.

The high temperature processing needed to maintain shelf life destroys many of the nutrients and a lot of the flavor. I don’t know about you, but I want my kids peas to taste like peas.

Do you like the idea of feeding your baby highly processed food? Even if it’s organic jarred food, it’s still very processed.

By purchasing these little portions you are creating an unnecessary amount of garbage. (hopefully you’re recycling the glass…but still!). Think about how many of those tiny jars you are throwing away weekly. Then think about how those tiny jars are packaged and labeled to ship them to the stores. I’m all about reducing waste, so I had to throw this in there.

So, what can you do about it? Well, I was recently given the opportunity to review the So Easy Baby Food Kit from Fresh Baby. The basic idea is to puree your own foods using a food processor or blender and freeze it individual servings, in only 30 minutes a week. It included two freezer trays, baby food book, a DVD, and a laminated tip card.

The first thing I did was watch the DVD. While slightly cheesy, I thought it was super informational and most mamas will learn something from it. In only 22 minutes, it covered how to use the kit, benefits to making your own food, some food safety, and tips to promoting a healthy eating style for your baby.

The book tells you everything you ever wanted to know about feeding your baby. The chapters are divided by age. Each chapter covers foods to introduce during that time and fun combinations to try. I also love that the book has a little section for “feeding memories and fun”, with spots to stick pictures and journal a bit. Also, each fruit or vegetable page has a spot to write when it was introduced and any other notes.

The tip card is a handy little cheat sheet to keep in your kitchen. It lists healthy eating habits, common ailments (such as what foods help with diarrhea) and among many more things choking and CPR information. I recommend keeping this somewhere handy, maybe on the fridge. It could be a lifesaver.

The trays are sturdy and best of all BPA and phthalate free! The compartments are each one ounce, which is a perfect first serving size. I love that the trays have lids, making them easier to stack and store in the freezer.

Overall, the kit is great. You can buy one for yourself (and every new mama/pregnant mama you know) here for only $37.95. It’s well worth the money and you will never regret it. Also, be sure to check out their blog here.

Fresh Baby is offering one lucky reader the chance to win your very own kit.

Update: Winner is #57: Trixx!

Here’s how to enter:

Visit Fresh Baby and comment telling me one interesting thing about the company. Be sure to leave an email address to contact you at. (this entry is mandatory and if not included all additional entries will be void.)

Sign up for Fresh Ideas monthly email newsletter here. (bottom of the page)

Click the Top Mommy Blogs button on my side bar to vote for me. 🙂

Ends at noon pacific time on 3/6/10. Winner will be determined by random.org. Winner will be notified by email and has 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be drawn. As always this is an honest review full of my own opinions. I was not compensated in any way other than receiving a kit to review.

I just found your blog and I am excited to have found this entry! I have heard about this product before and wasn't sure where to find it. Thanks for your review! I plan to look into this further when we get pregnant!